The Power of the Babson Name
One of my favorite parts of being a part of the Babson community is having the privilege of carrying the Babson name with me wherever I go. There are many universities and colleges that are ranked highly, have rigorous academic curriculum and attract students from all over the world, but it is rare that a university has all of this and a community that expands past its campus walls. Babson is a name that is not only recognized in the Greater Boston Area, it is a name that is known worldwide. The majority of individuals you will encounter that recognize the Babson College name, have a personal connection to the college, whether they are a part of the alumni network, attended an event at Babson, or have worked with a Babson student or alumni. When two people realize Babson is something they have in common, an instant bond is created.
Although I have encountered Babson alumni, or family members of Babson alumni on multiple occasions, in various locations, I have two personal examples of how valuable it is to be a part of the Babson Community. The first instance occurred while I was studying abroad this past fall on the Babson BRIC program. As a participant in this program, I traveled and studied for a month each in Russia, China, and India. Throughout the duration of my time in each of these countries, there were many situations where I met people who were somehow connected to the Babson community that lead to a deeper conversation or relationship, but there was one particular time that stood out. While in India, I was out to dinner with a few of my fellow BRIC classmates, all also Babson students. My friend, while in the restroom, struck up a conversation with someone else at the restaurant, and in that short time, they made the connection that they both went to Babson. The guy he met, came enthusiastically to our table and we were all able to instantly relate to him in so many ways just through our commonality of being Babson students. He had graduated a few years ago, and he was genuinely interested in what we were doing or what had changed at Babson. It didn’t take long until his entire group of friends came over and joined us, and just like that we had an entire new group of friends in a foreign country. That night they taught us Indian dance moves, and kept in touch, giving us recommendations throughout the month we were in India.
The second experience I had was this past spring break in Puerto Rico. I was visiting two friends, current Babson students, who are working at an incubator program in San Juan. This program provided them funding to continue working on their startups that they founded in the past year. One day, I was walking around San Juan, just walking, not going anywhere in particular, and stumbled across this cool warehouse that had different food vendors inside. It was a very local place and I do not speak the language, so as a struggled to order food, a local women sitting at the counter, helped translate for me, and recommended her favorite things on the menu. I was wearing a Babson shirt, and after the women ordered for me, she looks at my shirt, recognizes Babson, and says, “Oh Babson, great school, you will be very successful”. This was the last thing I expected to come out of her mouth, but after that, we began discussing Babson further. I learned that she was an entrepreneurship professor at a university in Puerto Rico. We talked for a while, and I was actually able to give her a lot of helpful insights on how we are taught at Babson. She was familiar with Babson, and knew students who attended, and was so curious in my personal interests and my experience at Babson. She was such a passionate professor and wanted my advice on how to more successfully teach in her classes. She actually invited me to one of her lectures to provide feedback. I left with all of her contact information, and plan to keep in touch.
These are two of many examples, of the power that the Babson name holds. Whether you are a current Babson student or a high school student considering applying to Babson, these stories speak to the type of people that are associated or aware of Babson College. Being a part of the Babson community continues to open new doors for me every day, and I can’t wait to continue exploring all the opportunities it will bring me.